The Ramblings of Austgen

So last night, we won are softball game in a ’98 Yankee type fashion, winning 12-0. It was a display of good defense, smart plays, luck, and timely hitting. I finally succeeded in hitting a homer, though I think I was out at the plate (and, I should’ve stopped at third, with the lead we had…). Of course, with scales having to be balanced, I wrenched my shoulder getting a feller out at first. If I can only remember to use proper form, I think my shoulder woes would be over. The true agony is for our beloved Lab Rat team, which played the evil MBS. Saying MBS doesn’t belong in the D league is the greatest understatement of all time. The Lab Rats got killed, 14-0. The Notorius TMZ took a liner in the leg, and now her lower right thigh will be pretty colors for a month. Jason the third got his foot suck UNDER THE FENCE…bad luck. It’s one thing to have bad defense and give up a big inning. That’s what happens in this league. You’re suppose to have teams in which most of the girls are gonna have weak grounders. And guys that pop-up all the time. You should only have a few good people, cause they organize the teams. MBS is all good, they can all hit…and only one or two can’t field well. Now, granted, they’re not the only team like this. I would say that mine is almost like this. All of the guys are fairly athletic, and we can all hit…the girls are pretty good too. Great fielding, strong fundamentals (even if our SS is, well, really short). So, I suppose I shouldn’t get on my soapbox just yet. However, it looks like some of the rainouts that we make up (next three weeks) may end up being intersquad games at the practice field. And honestly, I think it would be more fun just to play againts them for a few hours.

On a note of being utterly shocked and uber-pissed….what the fuck is going on in this world. This “terrorists” I just don’t get. Hiding behind a religion, they kill the innocent. What I don’t understand is the Islamic world. They have got to know that Islam preaches non-violence. Why doesn’t anyone do anything. I wonder if this is anyway (though this is a thin one) analogus to the Mafia. Instead of a Don, there’s the cleric…failure to follow his words is punished…extortion. Thin, but somehow the only way I can figure it out.

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So, it’s been awhile. To finish the rest of the Chicago trip, went to see the Fire (soccer team) play FC Dallas. We won, I got on tv numerous times with the folk. Got to hang out with the newest cousin/last hope for the reynolds clan. She’s cool, and the reason Cousin #3 bugged out of my brother’s wedding. Also, Soilder Field, from the outside, looks really fucking gay. It really does look like a space ship landed on the field. Once you get inside, it’s pretty nice…

Lab’s been kicking my ass. Can’t seem to get a rat to survive. At this rate, I’ll never get out of here. But, if I can just get five rats to work by September, I’ll be ok for my seminar, and getting an abstract in for EB would finally be easy again. Looking more like defending in late November, early December, then looking for work after the new year…unless I go to med school….

Lastly, what in the hell happened to the Cubs?? The pitching is suppose to be healthy, we have a possible triple crown canidate, and they’ve scored about 10 runs in the last week. What’s it gonna take??? A hanging…do we need to lynch someone from the center field flag pole? This may be the greatest underachieving team of all time….unless the Yankees get worst….but, WE WERE SWEPT BY THEM!! Fuck, i’m just gonna become a Nat’s fan or something.

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I returned from the near-city of my birth today…to five hours of work in the lab. But that is neither here nor there. Chicago did well to kick my ass. To recap…Friday, attended the massacare that was the Cubs game…not only to see the Cubs dole out 20 hits, but the Old Man, Greg “MadDog” Maddox hit one out. That was great. Then hit six or so bars (Bernie’s, Murphy’s Bleachers, blahblahblah) got a FOUR POUND (or so) burrito, went to another bar, then went back to Marco (POLO!!)’s place. Walk about six miles in the stretch. Unfortunately, on the way home my GI tract revolted, and the burrito was a casulty. Sucked, cause I wasn’t drunk…either the mexican was bad, or I was so full of food and beer and such that the body just gave up. But, Friday=good…..also, more mad props to THE BAGGER for the jersey….someone had to ask who’s it was, and I think I was then only one with that specific number…didn’t make it out to Cousin #3′s gig….Marco (POLO!!) and I were wrecked my 10 pm…

Saturday began with sleep and a message from a friend in NY that was drunk dialing me after a bachlorette party…she couldn’t understand why my phone would have been off at 1:30 in the morning…eh. Stupid neighbor girl when and backed into my car…but, now I get a free paint job for the car. After hanging at Cousin #2′s for a while, when into the city to hook up with Cousin #3 and fiance, to hit the Chicago Blues Fest down by the lake. The food was awesome (pad thai noodles, and mustard fried catfish) but I got to see BUDDY GUY!!!! Man, that guy can whail on the guitar. After watching part of his show, we wandered around the lakefront, watched the fireworks, then the longest “L” ride of my life.

More to come….

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I’m up here in the Chicago sprawl, currently hanging with my boy Marco (POLO!!). In three hours I will be in Wrigleyville, attending this afternoon’s contest of the Cubs and the Red Sox…consequently, this is the first time that the Sox have ever been to Wrigley. Played in Comisky (sp?) in 1918 for the series. Then I’m heading to the Beat Kitchen later tonight to watch Cousin #3 play, and maybe meet up with Cousin #2 and 2-alpha. Also, big thanks to THE BAGGER for loaning my his 1984 Lee Smith home alternate. Looking pimp.

The weekend doesn’t stop with today’s excitment. Tomorrow going to head to cousin #2′s place and maybe hit the Blues Fest in the City, then going to Soilder Field to catch the Fire play FC Dallas….baseball, soccer and beer….gotta love it.

This is a test…this is where you click

Above should be a link….let’s see if it works….

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So, got in the 10 service at Our Lady of Lourdes (sp?) this morning. Or what I like to call “the Circus”. It’s kinda difficult to go to OLoL sometimes, after going to Newman. Newman is college aged kids, a few town-folk, and that random visitor. OLoL is families of ages and sizes…which means young children…and to quote the Grinch…”all that NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!!!” I heard one child BARKING!!! But, I wore a smile through it all. This place as young couples with kids…and elder children that go…don’t see that at home. Most of the services in Granite are sparsley attended and much, much older in the mean age. Really disheartening to see. But, that place is rather silly, anyway.

Softball was again a success….won the game in five innings, and I had that craziest thing happen. Had a hard grounder to me, and was lined up to field it. But, the next thing that I know, it flying through the air towards Darla at Short…never hit my glove, but did careen of my brace…Never-the-less, we played well againts a team that we should have beat the last time we played them. This week is the other team in the building, and MBS, the best team in the league…a team that doesn’t belong in this league…

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Take The Ewan McGregor Test!

So, it is a new week of crazy science…and crazy it will be. Last Thursday and Friday I worked the most in, well, a long time. But, the results are getting better and better. Both my new antibodies are working, and actually going to start talking about my first paper. We’ll see how that all goes.

Saw a band on Saturday with ROOMIE PRIME. He’s got a bunch to say about it, but yea, Carbon Leaf was great. Described as a “front porch band”, they’ve been together for some time, and it shows. Real tight play, great guitars, bass player who could wail, and a front man that can sing and play tin flutes. Quality music. Also, there was some good eye candy in the crowd. Now, when I got outside, noticed that some of the eye candy was there with there parents, so had to beat myself with the 2×4. But, for a dollar, a good night.

Also, ROOMIE PRIME graced the HOUSE OF AWESOME with it’s new gas grill….let the meat feast begin. Burgers on a grill is what weekends are for. That and the Cubs beat LA on national TV, so it’s, as the hip folk say, all good.

Lastly, let us take a moment to remember those that died in our military. I have no relative that I know of that paid the “ultimate price”, but had those that served in uniform. For them, we shall not forget.

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I GOT DATA…well, not really…I got priliminary data. So, for those of you that have been keeping score at home, I’ve been having one hell of a time getting my antibody to work. After checking everything from the water I use to the equipment, I find that the math it wrong and the antibody is crap anyway. So, I says, “let just try a different receptor”…and well, now I got all kinds of staining and such. If my boss hadn’t broken her left side (clavicle and scapula), I’m sure she’d be jumping up and down now.

Decided that I’m not going to keep tossing out my statistics from softball, cause it’s a team sport, and I shouldn’t care so much. Needless to say, last week we lost, and this week, won both of them….well, off to more science, then baseball…

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I’m drinking Red Stripe…I feel so Jamacian…mon…

No softball last week. The rain gods felt it necessary to dump a few million gallons of water on the greater Columbia area. Really wanted to play this double header…but have to wait. Spent the weekend up in Iowa, seeing a few friends…good times, got made fun off, ate way to much. Everything you need when you get out of town. Of course, didn’t get much work done, and had a busy week ahead, but needed to get out of town.

Only three more days til STAR WARS III…got my tickets for the midnight show, and can’t wait.

Happy late Birthday to Dana Sedai…she’s 22…yea, that’s it. I suppose that’s another downside to leaving town this weekend….but, something that is in the past. Got her vodka last year….need something just as cool.

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So, I just got back from my one graduation party of the year. My boy, Hicky-nuts, the de facto head grad student of the department. Aside from the five hours of the drinking, it was sad. One doesn’t think of the people around them graduating…I suppose this is another sign of me getting older. It will be odd, not seeing him at the tailgates next fall, and listening to him bitch about the basketball team and how the Royals aren’t in it anymore. But, he is going to Chicago, and has got a good gig, so I am glad for him. Godspeed, Aaron C. Hinken, PhD, on your next step

On Wednesday, there was a softball game, if you could call it that. We played the other team from the Dalton. We ended up winning by mercy rule, 16-2. It was pretty rough to play. Their pitcher was new, but even when we started swinging at the first pitch, we were still hitting it to where they weren’t. I went 2-4, two singles, reached on an error, and struck out (DAMN IT!!). Two runs and one RBI. That brings the line to .428/.250/.821

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